Honors College

Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College

Honors at Wichita State empowers students to excel academically, professionally, and individually. Personalized plans of study and new research, leadership, and other applied learning opportunities offered by the Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College cater to the unique interests of each individual student.

In honor of the tradition of honors education at Wichita State since the 1957 founding of an honors program, we are asking supporters to donate $57 to the dean’s discretionary fund. These funds will support programs throughout the year including first-year honors student retention initiatives such as the Honors Colloquium that engages new students with community-building activities and guests from across campus.

Or, if you’d like to support the college as a whole–the Honors College Shocker Fund provides unrestricted support to the areas of greatest need. That could include student or faculty conference attendance fees and travel, study abroad sponsorships, and more.


By the numbers

10:1 – Average student-to-teacher ratio in honors courses.
28% – Students in the Honors College who are first-generation

Kimberly Engber, Dean

“The Cohen Honors College provides a supportive and competitive small college environment for students in multiple majors. Our commitment to doing more meaningful work is evident in the impact honors students have on our community through research and service.”

Want to make a major impact?

Our Senior Director of Development, Lynette Murphy, can help connect your passions with opportunities to make a difference. Reach her at lynette.murphy@wichita.edu.

Staff Directory
Shocker Fund logo

Because of you

Giving to the Shocker Fund provides flexible funds to meet student needs. With additional resources, more students will have access to programs that enhance their student experience like tutoring, study abroad, applied learning experiences, travel to conferences and competitions, and community services opportunities.

Because of your support, our students will have the funding they need to succeed.

On behalf of Wichita State students, thank you Shocker Nation.

Inside Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College at Wichita State University
Wichita State University's Shocker Hall home to Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College

The Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College is housed in Shocker Hall on the WSU campus.

WSU President Golden visits with honor college students

WSU President Jay Golden visits with Honors College students.

A ribbon cutting photo of the newely expanded Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College at Wichita State University.

Ribbon cutting for the newly expanded Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College.

What's new at Cohen Honors College?

In 2015, the honors college was named in honor of Dorothy and Bill Cohen, whose $4.75 million gift vaulted the program to new levels of excellence and prestige. The couple made additional gifts, helping to build a comprehensive, interdisciplinary program that benefits students and faculty. In addition to a challenging, personalized curriculum and research opportunities, students engage broader communities in the world via service learning, internships and study abroad.

Honors students can join a Living Learning Community in Shocker Hall, living on the same floor, participating in special programming and belonging to a strong network of faculty and students. Additionally, the Honors College has committed to creating a stronger, more intellectually engaged community by increasing diversity. General need-based scholarships and funding for first-generation and underserved minority Honors students will contribute significantly to this goal and support the overall university goals to make a high-quality college education more affordable and accessible to all.

As education continues to evolve in the 21st century, the Cohen Honors College will lead the way at Wichita State, bringing faculty, students and disciplines together for innovative research and the transformation of our communities.

 

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